(playful piano music) - I think concerns, internationally, over the representation, or the underrepresentation, of people of color have raised to a pitch that has caused many to really critically look at what is clearly the denial of opportunities to grow and to flourish, and to hear works that are the creative output of people of color.

It manifests itself in every aspect of life, from our financial and social structures, to denial of the best of housing and so forth.

And it is certainly no different in the creative and performing arts.

♪ He's got a heart ♪ - The reason it's so important, especially now, to represent voices that have historically not been heard, is that when all those voices rise, we have the opportunity to propel opera into a new future.

We have the moment to say, opera is an art form of opportunity.

And the opportunity is to share our common humanity through the power of story.

- Atlanta is very rich and diverse city.

That's one of the strengths of this city.

And The Atlanta Opera is very interested in representing and giving voice to all those different rich communities, cultural, racial, diverse demographics of Atlanta.

So I feel that our role with the 96-Hour Project, is to provide that platform for, not only the people, but also the cultures that they bring with them and the stories that they bring with them.

And I'm very excited about what we are about to hear this weekend.

(participant singing) - Mozart said that the opera's written for everybody.

He's arguably one of the greatest operatic composers ever.

And, it's hard to have the concept that opera's for everybody, when everybody isn't a participant, you know?

At all levels.

And, in this weekend, I think we're digging up and finding participants from every culture that's represented in our city.

And they're being represented and being pulled on stage and allowed to express themselves and show their work.

And I think that's a great move in the right direction.

♪ The great ♪ - Such an important endeavor that Atlanta Opera's taking, not just for local opera for their company, but for the world of opera.

And, you know, the possibility that, you know, a new voice or a new team, you know, could be found, which really has some impact, you know, and maybe makes the next "La Boheme," I mean, you never know, it's exciting.

(upbeat music) (gong echoing) (participant singing) (birds tweeting) - As many companies did during the COVID crisis, we were also handling a crisis of racial reckoning.

And one of the things that I'm really proud of is that we came out of that crisis with an answer of action.

And this project was one of those actionable items.

So the 96-Hour Opera Project is finding a way for composers and librettists from historically underrepresented communities to have a showcase, and to have one of our teams be able to go on to commission a work with The Atlanta Opera.

And I'm really proud that, not only we came out of our crisis of racial reckoning and the COVID crisis with new ways to tell stories, but also this incredible project.

- The beauty of the 96-Hour Opera Project is that it expands the canvas on what is possible in opera.

(company singing opera) And I think that what's so wonderful about it is that by representing voices that were traditionally unrepresented in the opera canon, you know, we can rejoice in the power of story.

You know, the 96-Hour Opera Project says, this is your story, and your story and your story and our story.

And we come together.

You know, I believe that opera can unify, opera can unite us, opera can bring us together.

And that is all done through the power of story.

It says, this is our common humanity and when we celebrate it, that's a beautiful thing.

- This project's been in the works for well over a year.

Our applications launched and we had over 70 applicants by the time they closed.

Those applications were whittled down to six teams, which consist of one composer and one librettist on each team.

Those teams also have two singers, which are from the Atlanta community.

Many of our amazing singers that live here, we're so excited that they were able to join us for this project.

Those teams also have a pianist on them and they're sharing directors.

So there are three directors on the project, who split their time between two teams.

We also have with us, a film team of six people and an administrative team of four people that is mixed of Atlanta Opera staff and contractors.

We're also honored to have an esteemed panel of six judges who are with us for the competition.

- The emerging composers and librettists have four days to create a piece that will be 10 minutes.

So in 10 minutes, they've got to expand, open, reach out a hand, invite me onto a journey.

There's beauty in that, because there's an enforced economy, this idea that we've got to invite the audience viewer onto this journey quickly.

And we almost make a covenant with the viewer and say, we've got 10 minutes to take you on a journey.

So viewer audience member, I'm going to reach out a hand quickly, invite you in, hold that hand, pull you forward and say, we're going on this journey together.

It's going to be sweet, short, but very powerful and very impactful.

(company singing opera) - There's so many layers to this question about what needs to be addressed in opera right now.

Opera is a Western European art form.

That's where it was born.

And yet, so many of us can take art forms and adopt them for ourselves, and evolve them.

And I feel that that's what's happening right now to opera in America.

- I think it's difficult to have diversity on stage and consequently, subsequently, in the audiences, if you don't have diversity at the top.

You have to be open minded to think that way, or you have to have different elements involved at the top, making these decisions.

So, and that just filters down.

You know, I've said, I think the shot heard around the world was, I'd never had a Black conductor, Black director, Black stage manager, Black blah, blah, blah.

So it's nice to have that, you know, at our disposal now, to see what those elements bring to the table, how different the stories can be told, how the vision's changed, you know, and just having a different perspective.

I think that's very important, in all aspects of the business that we, you know, we reflect the society in which we reside, you know.

So such that we don't see things one way and we don't cater to just one demographic.

- There's an incredible opportunity right now with the events of the last few years, that have made people start talking about diversity, representation, social justice, the awareness of all of us.

All of us, in a way that we have not been able to do before.

None of these conversations existed when I was coming up as a singer myself in the field.

And now that I'm on the other side, and these conversations are happening, I'm ecstatic for the singers that didn't get the chance to sing the kinds of roles that they wanted.

I'm so happy for the creators that are coming in and being considered with more thought, more seriousness and more intention about who they want to write those stories, who do they want to write that music?

What kind of conductors?

Even a conductor and a director from a pre-written story are going to bring their own perspective and narrative into a story.

How will that effect, not just the new works that we are doing, but the traditional canon as well.

Yes, there has been a representation problem in opera and everyone coming up right now in the opera world is doing what they can to change it.

New administrators, new creators, making room for composers and librettists that may not have had an entryway into this art form before, like the program that Atlanta Opera is doing.

- I think that the opportunity for those artists with the 96-Hour Project is diverse in terms of what it could lead them to.

So number one, day one already, just by being here, those six teams won because they were chosen from 70 different applicants.

And they now have a platform to be seen by general directors, artistic directors, of multiple opera companies.

They have a chance to be seen on TV, so that even more people can be exposed to their talents.

And then, one of those teams is going to win an opportunity to write a short opera that will then be presented here at The Atlanta Opera.

So, my hope for this project is that those very talented individuals and artists will have an opportunity to be seen and then to be trusted with additional opportunities that will further their careers.

(gentle piano music) - This particular contest, or this platform, I think is really exciting because it's been very specific in some ways about addressing, now they say the absence of, you know, or the erasure, so opera traditionally has erased people of color, you know, and certain kinds of people that they're not the center of opera.

So it's like they don't exist if you just only saw the world through opera.

So I think this is, it's really exciting and I'm happy for it really, because I think one of the big causes is that I just, in my lifetime, I just, you know, did not think that this kind of work would be being supported.

And that also is being embraced by many people with a great deal of enthusiasm.

And so that gives me hope about what the future looks like.

I mean, in some ways if I think about it, and like, if I were alive 20 years from now, what would the opera stages look like, given what's going on now?

So, that's exciting to me.

- I have never met an artistic team who wrote something that didn't feel important to them, or personal to them.

What drives artists to create work is just that, is a desperate need to be seen and witnessed by others.

And when they successfully do that, of course they bring people together from many different walks of life.

So yes, now I think opera is saying, you know, it's no longer good enough for us to rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat with the same perspectives and the same tunes.

Like, we're here to grow, we're here to change and thrive and welcome in an incredible array of artists who might really teach us something.

And so, I think it's about acknowledging expertise as a problematic idea, and leaning into the foundation of what opera really is, which is the complicated coordination of multiple parts that have to coexist in precision in a single moment.

And when we get that right, it's actually the most life-affirming art form there is.

(participants chattering) - [Saman] It's gonna be like "The Office," where we just like sitting here going, you know, I felt like she doesn't appreciate my work.

- [Isabella] Oh my God.

- Like after second rehearsal, I'm like, "Isabella's just not, you know-" - Well, yeah.

- "Doesn't understand what I'm talking about."

- You just need to do a lot of takes to the camera during the rehearsals.

(Saman laughs) - I was just talking with one of the other contestants.

The most important thing is to make new friends here and to actually like, get to know these people and work with them again in the future.

I mean, five people are not gonna win here- - Five teams.

- Five teams are not gonna win, exactly.

But I think everybody's gonna be a winner because we all get to dabble in each other's works and actually, you know, see the artistic process of a colleague.

So I think that, in that sense, I'm already, I'm excited.

- Yeah, and we'll all have finished our pieces- - Yeah.

- At any rate.

So, we're already talking about where we can get this piece performed.

(Isabella laughs) - We met last year in our first year as artist residents in the American Lyric Theater program.

So, we met there and then we saw the application and decided to apply together as a team.

- Yeah.

- So it's our first opera together.

- Yeah.

- Our first-time opera, yeah.

- You know, we've done like small etudes together- - Yeah.

- So I think we knew in working with each other that, we both came to it with a speed of working.

(Johanny laughs) We could kind of turn it around really quickly and that the work that we created, we could be really proud of, you know, it could be work that challenged and that worked well.

And so, and I also just like fell in love with my friend over here, right?

We hit it off really well, I think, from the beginning.

And so, having someone, I think, that you get along with- - Yeah.

- Having someone that creatively, can see the vision that you're trying to put together and vice versa, I think those things were reasons why signing up for this project would be, you know, beneficial for both of us- - Yeah.

- And something we felt like we could actually accomplish.

- I personally am not supernaturally competitive.

I think it's because I'm the daughter of an elementary school teacher.

And so, it's often really important for me that, you know, people feel included and that, you know, everyone gets something out of an experience.

And so, I really honestly can say that it's just a real pleasure to be here.

And I think that if I'm competitive, I'm competitive against my own self, my past self, in the libretti that I've written and in the versions of the libretti that were written for this project, because it didn't just come out totally perfect, like, the first time.

But, you know, Jorge and I worked through the libretto together, through the story, to find something that was going to be really artistically fulfilling for both of us.

- I am competitive.

Yeah, for sure.

I am competitive and I'm here to compete, not only in Atlanta and you know, in this competition, but that was my goal coming to United States was to compete.

I wanted to be in the room with the best artists and I wanted to see if I could hold my ground.

Now, you know, after 20 years of living in the US, and after, you know, having done the work that I've been able to do, I feel very comfortable with where I am and very comfortable in my skin and very comfortable that I can hold my own in any room.

So, you know, winning is always subjective.

Someone will win.

And what gets selected is very subjective so there's no knowing, you know, what resonates with the judges.

But yeah, I think we have a good chance.

I think I found in Alejandra a fantastic collaborator so, and we've got a really good dynamic, so I think that's been, you know, I think that's really important.

- Some other logistical challenges that we've had since the competition started are that we've had a composer and librettist team who is unable to be here in person with us.

They are at their hotel and they are working virtually.

They, unfortunately, have COVID.

And so, we've done everything that we can to get them set up, to participate via Zoom, as we've all learned now.

(Jessica laughs) I'm very grateful for all of those Zoom sessions that we've set up and participated in over the past two years, because we were ready to go and knew how to get that ready for that composer and librettist team so that they could work with their director and their singers and pianists virtually, and get their piece ready to go for Monday.

- We were coming back from Europe, from a film screening in London for Sundance London, that our first feature film was in, and me as the writer/director, Marcus as the composer for the movie.

And, you know, definitely super excited, took a couple of planes to get here, but unfortunately we contracted COVID during the film festival and so, have been spending all of our time in quarantine here in the hotel room, but still working as hard as we can and as hard as our bodies' energy will allow us to, to complete this opera project, 'cause we we're just really excited to be here.

- We thought this would be a good opportunity.

Adamma's from Atlanta, too, so we wanted to like, it felt right to be back here and making some art, you know what I mean?

- Yeah.

- I've always been- 'Cause selfishly, I definitely wanna come back, like move back, we're both in Los Angeles.

And I'm trying to convince him as well.

(Marcus and Adamma laugh) So, and he's always been like, you know, I'm not against it, I'm open to it, but it's gonna have to be about the music.

And so I was like, this is a cool way to like, sort of entrench us both into this area.

- And we're both very passionate and like, not just in words, but in the actions and in our art about like, Black art, Black stories, Black music.

So to be down here working with like, Morehouse and Spelman folks, we're like, "This could be pretty dope."

(Adamma laughs) - Honestly, I feel like being here is a great prize already, 'cause I haven't been back to Atlanta in like, over 15 years.

So just being here and being able to like, create new work for Asian and Asian American voices is wonderful already.

Obviously, if we win, I would love the money so give me the money.

(Marcus Yi laughs) But yeah, no, I would love to see this as an opportunity really to, you know, let's create more work for Asian and Asian American voices.

- And I think it would be nice to continue to write a bigger piece, you know.

Right now we have a 10-minute-ish like, chamber opera but what if it was a 30-minute piece?

What if it was an hour piece?

So, this commission would be a great chance to like, have something and put it together with more singers, more instrumentalists, have a bigger stage and kind of a bigger platform to put our work on.

You know, if I win the money, I might go out to a restaurant, I don't know.

- Yay!

Yes, exactly.

- Buy some clothes.

(Marcus Yi laughs) Yeah, something like pay rent.

- [Marcus Yi] Yeah, pay rent.

It's an important thing, so.

- Early.

- Who do you think will win?

- Who's our biggest competitor?

We gonna take them out right now.

(Marcus Yi continues laughing) - Right, take them out.

Rip up their sheet music.

(Roydon imitates paper tearing) - Exactly.

We'll take them out to lunch, how's that?

- When we first started this, I mean, we applied to this several months ago and I was excited to apply, but I thought, can I really write something?

Can we really accomplish anything in 96 hours?

It just, it was very, very scary, the whole idea.

But I just kept soldiering on and eventually, ideas put themselves on paper.

And for me, I know that it's not done, there's a certain feeling I get when I know that it's good, that it's good enough to present to someone else.

- Yeah.

- And so, I just keep writing until that feeling kind of settles, where, okay, this is all right.

- I have a very high ethical standard for the works that I do.

And at one moment I was thinking, oh my God (laughs) will I meet it?

(hands clap) Right?

But, it's been met.

I think so.

(gentle piano music) - I think it's important to provide opportunities for composers and librettists, and to also provide opportunities for those stories that are being told, that have not been told before.

Many of these stories that I had never heard of before the meetings with our story partners.

And I'm so proud that we're bringing them to life on stage.

(dramatic piano music) - When we were approached by The Atlanta Opera about this opportunity, we were immediately excited about it, excited that this type of attention was being paid, you know, from the opera and in this space.

I think in so many cultural spaces, there frankly, are issues around representation.

And it is important for diverse communities to see themselves represented in the arts.

And so, you know, this project got to the heart of that.

- My first thought was that it was so exciting to actually see an art form like the opera, be willing to create something that was centering voices that are typically not centered in this specific art form.

And I was excited also to see The Atlanta Opera come to us and have this very transparent culture of listening.

That's the kind of trust that I think makes, it starts shifting paradigms.

And that's the kind of partnership that changes the way that community sees art and the way that art sees community.

(participant singing) - One of the reasons I'm so excited to interface with these emerging composers and librettists, is that each one brings their own unique stone to the mosaic.

And, that mosaic is one that is going to illuminate so many different stories that will propel us forward, allow us to open our eyes, reach out a hand and say, this is your story and your story and your story.

And collectively, it's our story.

You know, it's the story of our common humanity.

I am really intrigued by the idea that the 96-Hour Opera Project partners with stories that resonate, you know, this nonprofit consortium of storytelling.

And that's what opera does, you know?

It creates stories that resonate and that say, this is for all of us.

It's something that we can enjoy because, at the end of the day, the power of story is what really makes opera come theatrically alive.

- Has anybody seen- - Our story partner was the Atlanta History.

And we really like to operate in a comedic space- - And dark.

- Like a dark comedy satirical space, a lot of the time.

And so, we asked if there was anything along those lines that they might have.

And they were like, "Well, this is more ironic than funny, but Morehouse's Glee Club performed at the premier for 'Gone with the Wind,' and apparently Martin Luther King Jr. was in the Glee Club at the time."

- Maybe.

Allegedly is the word.

- Maybe, it's alleged.

And so, just the intersection of race there and, you know, Margaret Mitchell and like, what "Gone with the Wind" has come to represent is super fascinating and so, we were like, "Oh, we could make this funny."

- [Marcus] Tax kind of funny.

- And also, Morehouse is at the center of it and I graduated from Spelman.

And so we were like, yeah, this feels like a good route to go in.

And so, our story is about a Morehouse Glee Club member and a girl from Spelman, who both attend the premier of "Gone with the Wind," and they are the only ones seemingly, who did not like this movie.

(Adamma laughs) And sort of just, and the rest of the story is sort of like, the fallout of their reaction.

(participant singing) - We were working with our community partner, We Love Buford Highway, and we were given an option of a couple of stories to tell.

And the one that we ended up going with was the story of Guillermo Cesario, his journey as a man, an adult man, who lost his sight later on in his life.

And in working through the depression and the challenge and the wondering how he was going to start his life again, found new meaning, found new direction in the founding of, in practicing tae kwon do, and then later on founding his tae kwon do studio.

Jorge and I really thought about what moment could we crystallize for this 10-minute scene?

What could we show in that moment?

And so, what we are depicting is going to be an early lesson between Guillermo and his tae kwon do instructor, a woman that we've created for the purposes of this work called Sin-Young.

- It was important for me, for this project, to not talk about the horrors of immigration.

It's not they are not important and actually we need to talk about them, but it is also important to represent our communities in a complex way.

And portray the immigration experience as something that is sort of unique to every individual.

And so, what spoke to me about this story is that it's a story of success, it's a story about a family, and it's a story about overcoming adversity.

- Three, four, pick me up.

- It's a totally, I felt very inspired by the story prompts we were given, working with the Atlanta History Center and the artifacts from the US Colored Troops that fought in the Civil War.

It was very inspiring.

And especially when the curator, there were videos that we watched, and the curator, when he was describing the flag and the symbolism on the flag and the words which say, "We will prove ourselves men," he made the comment, or the connection, of the Black Lives Matter continuum.

So, we are fighting now for the same thing we've been fighting for, for 400 years.

- It's a story that has to be told.

And sung.

(Carlos chuckles) It's a thing you want to get your hands on, because it's powerful, and it's moving and it's human.

And it says a lot about who we are as humans and what the USA is also as a country.

(Deborah laughs) - Our partner was the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

We got a chance to meet with them virtually at first, and kind of ask them some general questions.

We were provided with two topics.

One that was centered, I believe, in convict leasing- - Mm hmm.

- And the other that centered around the Atlanta Race Massacre.

And so, we kind of had to weigh between us, which one we felt like was a piece that we could one, connect with and then two, accomplish in 10 minutes, right?

So, just going from that, we started thinking about what are the universal themes we wanted an audience to take away?

How do we build complex characters, even though it's only in 10 minutes?

What are other things that we thought about?

I feel like we had a long conversation.

- Yeah, I think that we're the only female team.

And, we are bringing a female perspective also, because the most important character in your story is Rose.

So, we give emphasis in her story, in her voice.

And also, it's at the same time, it's giving importance to your writing, your aesthetic, your creativeness, and my work as an artist, too.

- Yeah.

I think it really started to translate this kind of like, girl power when we got to the text, because for us, you know, in history, especially as we work with our story partner, we found that there was a lot of references to men being killed in the massacre, a lot of images of men being killed in the massacre- - [Johanny] Yeah.

- [Deborah] The women seemed virtually gone from the scene.

- [Johanny] Yeah, and even we asked and we couldn't find anything.

- Yeah our story partner kind of was like, that's the work we're doing is to wanna develop that and to research that, but we don't really know.

- They don't know.

Yeah.

- And so, you know, I can't imagine that all the women fell off of the earth in the middle of this massacre.

They had to be somewhere.

And so I think just also reframing history to think about the people who maybe weren't the main source of where all of the rage was headed, but definitely still were impacted by it.

But, for us to really take a step back and think about where do the women sit in this story?

How does their perspective change and shift how we look at what's here?

- Our story partner is the Japan-American Society of Georgia and their prompt was actually a person's entire life.

And his name is Jimmy Doi, and he's a 97-year-old World War II veteran and Japanese internment camp detainee.

So, it was kind of hard trying to pare down which aspects of his life that we wanted, because we only really have 10 minutes to create the opera.

So it was really interesting in terms of like, figuring out which moments of his life were really compelling to tell, dramatically as well as musically.

So I think the moment that we really settled on was the moment where he reunites with his father after World War II, after a complete communication blackout, he's not even sure if his father's still alive and he reenlists again in the Army so that he can get to Japan.

And he looks for his father, he's not sure if he's still alive, so he manages to get to the little town where his father supposedly lives, and the first person he sees is his dad.

And it was really touching because I think he says in the interview that that was the first time that his father ever hugged him in his entire life.

- Yeah, and then he ended up in Atlanta, right?

As a chicken sexer.

- A chicken sexer, yes.

They were given like, the opportunity to be able to study a multitude of things.

So I think he picked like, chicken sexing.

So he came to Atlanta and worked in that for many, many years.

He worked really, really hard.

So, yeah, despite having gone through so many things, I think what was really inspiring about him was his positivity- - Right.

- Through all this adversity and never letting it become, you know, never allowing himself to become this like, really bitter person or anything like that.

He was always very, very positive.

Like, even until today.

(pensive piano music) - Our community partner is the Fulton County Library and they gave us a few prompts.

The one that we were drawn to the most was the '96 Olympics and Paralympics.

When we were talking with the folks at the Fulton County Library, the theme of displacement came up and of construction that happened around the '96 Olympics and the effect that it had on communities that were under resourced already.

The ramifications of what had happened there were clearly still being felt, 'cause you could kind of tell from how people were talking about it, that they had a firsthand experience with that displacement.

- Yeah, so the gist of it is that it basically, we're playing on this moment of encounter between two people and their dreams, and this dialectic process of having one person's dream shatter another person's dream.

And we're not trying to, as Isabella and I were talking, we're not trying to solve every problem in the world.

We're not trying to be preachy and make, you know, pretend that we know the complexity of these issues, but we just wanted to humanize that moment that they encounter and they realize that their dreams were at odds with each other, but that doesn't mean that they're not valid on their own.

And we thought that that's a really powerful moment.

(participant singing) - I really commend the opera, you know, doing this project and really making a effort to use art as a, kind of a driver to share those stories, I think it's a wonderful way to really kind of, bring to the forefront of, you know, different stories that, you know, people have in their lives, and not just stories of people that are in the majority or, you know, the white and Caucasian stories that, you know, we all kind of have to kind of, study and learn in school and whatnot.

And, you know, having these different types of stories that are a main focus of the performing art, I think is a wonderful way to really kind of, leave a legacy.

♪ I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry ♪ - This project is one of a handful of projects that will be my professional swan song as an administrator in the arts at Morehouse.

And it certainly, it represents a kind of conclusion of some things that I have wanted to come to fruition.

And I believe that the far-reaching implications for initiating this kind of project is such that, it will not only be something worthy of my legacy as head of this program, but of the college and The Atlanta Opera at large.

And I have to say, I'm proud of The Atlanta Opera over the years because of the relationship that has been forged with, not just this community, but with the community of people of color at large, even before Tomer Zvulun came and certainly, very much to his credit and to all of the wonderful people, Jessica and others, who are at The Atlanta Opera, they have put efforts into extending, into the community on the main stage, in terms of the levels of management.

Now, absolutely more can always be done.

But I've had the privilege of performing on stage with the opera company and I have taken delight at being able to go to operatic performances and see current students, and former students, from anything from chorus members to main stage leading roles.

And I think that is not replicated across the country.

I think the effort to try and to create a kind of synergy that brings more to the African American community, that is, to get out of the concert halls in downtown Atlanta and Cobb County and whatnot- - His whole manifestation- - And extend itself into the African American community, is meaningful.

It's very meaningful.

And I look forward to next year and perhaps engaging in a collaborative presentation of a full-scale operatic work, which will be the first time the work will have been presented in the Southeast as a part of a partnership with The Atlanta Opera.

So I encourage them to continue to do the kinds of things that they do because it is meaningful for this city and with the size of the population of African Americans, that they continue to try and represent all facets of our community on the stage, behind the stage, in the managerial tier and certainly in the audiences.

So this will resonate, I believe, in a very significant way, in terms of our future collaborations and endeavors to try and simply improve upon what we've already begun with respect to building relationships and building community.

It's about engagement.

(participant singing) - Except for one group, everyone was kind of bright eyed and bushy tailed.

And you know, you're looking at people and thinking, I wonder what they have to say?

I wonder what were their stories about?

I wonder what their writing style is like?

You're a composer?

You know, you don't look like a composer.

I don't look like an opera singer, so I get it, you know?

No one's ever gonna look at me and guess that he's a, you know, world-renowned bass that sings at all these great opera houses.

And I think that's the cool part.

Because I'm looking at people that don't look the part, which is actually what we want.

(participants laughing) And so, it's just excitement, you know?

And just excitement, questions, uncertainty, but you know, anxiety, but also hope, you know, and really, just excitement.

I'm looking forward to it.

And I think they felt it, I felt it.

All them knew who I was, but I didn't know who there were, you know, as far as, I don't know your writing style, I haven't heard your material that well, so it's cool, I'm just looking forward to it.

I'm really looking forward to these fresh ideas.

And that's gonna be the best part of it, you know?

So, yeah.

So the atmosphere right now is pretty loose, but tense and inquisitive.

(gentle piano music) - Well, right now the music is gonna be, it has to be finished by 5:00 pm today.

And then at 7:00 pm, we're gonna be meeting with our directors to sort of go over staging and basic concepts of the show.

And then tomorrow is gonna be music and staging rehearsals for the entire day, on Sunday we're meeting with the judges for like a short little mentorship kind of program.

And, we're gonna run through the entire program in the afternoon on Sunday.

And then Monday is our show.

- [Morris] We start rehearsals tomorrow.

So, there's a hard deadline at 5:00 today that this has to be done.

- And it just changed- - [Morris] And the pressure's on, the heat is on, so.

- It changed the world.

- I'm excited for them, I'm not envious.

I know there's a lot of pressure going on in the rooms right now, but whatever they submit today at 5:00 is a done deal.

Then we're gonna assign it to, based on what they require, we're gonna assign the singers, we're gonna assign the piano players.

The singers are gonna get the music today.

They'll start looking at it and rehearsing tonight, on their own, learning it.

Tomorrow, rehearsal starts.

And it, the rubber hits the road then.

Rolling and popping.

(participants talking) - It's a very complicated art form.

There are a lot of people doing very different jobs and it's really important, I think, for composers.

Sometimes composers can want to control every aspect of everything, and you can't.

You've gotta let the librettists do their job, you've gotta let the director, you've gotta understand the needs of the singers and understand how their voices are.

They're not all the same.

When you work in opera, you've gotta be versatile.

And you know, you've gotta work with a lot of people and you've gotta balance a lot of opinions, and be respectful of all the voices involved.

- Piano.

You know, with the director is kind of where we're headed next in our day.

We get to sit with the director and decide, you know, how do we go about thinking of putting this on stage in a very limited way.

Obviously, we don't have a huge budget to do a full set design and costume design and all those things that would really make it, you know, go up and above, but I think it's at the heart of it, we get the words and we get the music and we get the feelings.

So I think for us, it's really to think about, you know, working in a minimalistic way.

What has to happen to convey what we've put into the rest of the piece?

What can be left to the audience's imagination as they just listen, right?

Where are we holding them?

Where are we letting them go?

I think those are the things that we really need to refine with the director.

What are the things that you think?

- Yeah, I guess it would be how to explain to the singers, you know, the emotions and the efforts and everything, the emotional content of their characters and how they can get that, you know, through the music and through their voices, and just communicate that to the audience.

I don't know.

I like this video.

- I'm don't know if I'm gonna allow myself to start liking stuff, but I told one of them today that you better write a really good bass role, so.

(Morris laughs) Just in case, you know?

I gotta look out for myself a little bit, you know?

(twinkly piano music) - [Participant] I'm tempted to tell you to play the whole thing.

- In the past two, three years, we've been dealing with incredible challenges for the world, starting from the pandemic, with the war in Ukraine, with supply chain challenges, with inflation, with instability of the market.

COVID is still here.

And despite all these challenges, we are able to come together as a company and launch this important initiative that allows people to share stories and music and words with the audience.

And I'm very proud, as the General Director of this company, to see the team moving forward, despite all those obstacles.

So for example, we are in the first day of 96-Hour Project, and one of the teams is dealing with challenges associated with the coronavirus.

They're still keeping on being a part of the competition, and I'm proud of them.

And I believe, and have always believed, that the obstacle is the way.

And this is why The Atlanta Opera continue to perform during the most difficult times of the pandemic in a circus stand.

And the 96-Hour Project will continue forward, despite all the challenges in the world.

(energetic music) - I'm amazed, you know, by the effort that Atlanta Opera is doing, just to bring all of these amazing creators and giving the chance to make a new piece, a new opera, and present it so the audience can hear it, and then, very important people of the business of opera can hear them.

And that give you a chance to believe that opera can change, that opera can be different, that opera can be appealing, that opera can be also about young people creating new works and presenting new works, and to connect with all kinds of people.

So, I'm really excited about that.

- Absolutely.

You know, we oftentimes, as artists of color, as librettists and composers of color, are working in silos, where we don't know who else is doing the work- - Mm hmm.

- Because there's so few of us at times doing it.

So to be in a space, and be provided a space, where we can get to know each other and build with each other and say, hey, I loved this and I hated this, and this might work better here, that's already a gift in and of itself.

And then to put it in a space where we're connecting with these people who could effectively move our careers forward, effectively, you know, green light us to write about things that we think are really important in this world, which is the challenges those audiences, more with those stories, you know, that's what we mean when we say stories will resonate, right?

We're talking about these stories that go beyond us and go beyond our notebooks or our tablets, right?

Or our minds.

And that become things that are the earworm that people can't let go of until they actually start to change this world.

- I think, especially for a person of Asian descent, there really isn't like, iconic work in opera that really represents the Asian, or Asian American experience.

And even when you look at productions of "Turandot" and "Madame Butterfly" right now, a lot of times we have white people playing Asian people.

So there really isn't a work that is truly representative of the Asian or Asian American experience, in opera right now.

So I would really love for this opportunity to sort of, be a platform for these stories to be heard more in the future.

- Sort of, galvanize.

I'm doing this because I'm a writer, he's doing this because he's a composer, and that's what we do.

And, we also feel a responsibility.

While it's what we do, it's not just what we do.

We feel a responsibility to our art and to the people who become acquainted with our art.

We're trying to give something, we're trying to show something to people that they wouldn't necessarily see in their lives- - Yeah.

- Or give or evoke feelings and transformation.

And speaking of transformation, we know that the industry of opera has to change in order to survive.

- Opera is such a powerful medium, artistic medium, to say important messages, but it's lagging behind, right?

Most of the repertoire that's played, it's the repertoire from, you know, 150 years ago and things like that.

So it's lagging behind, it needs to get, to come up to date.

And I think that this project is doing just that.

And I love opera, so that's why we are here.

[Director] Look at each thing- - I came to opera, mostly because Marcus asked me to create an opera with him a few years back.

But my background is in television and film.

I'm a TV and film writer and director, but music has always been a gigantic part of my life.

- I was first introduced to opera by the genius mind of Bugs Bunny.

(Marcus and Adamma laugh) What he was doing just really resonated with me and I was like, "Man, that's kind of cool.

I could probably do that."

(Adamma laughs) Did we pay attention much to opera before we wrote the first one?

Decidedly, no.

Because these institutions don't include Black folks and historically have not, I feel like I get to come at them with like, okay, what if this didn't exist?

And it was invented today by a 20-something Black man, what would that be like?

And I wanted to do it like that.

- My godfather's sister is Jessye Norman, who was a big opera singer.

And I remember being really fascinated by it, but then as I got older was like, it's just not Black enough over here.

So I just didn't.

The interest faded, but you know, now that I'm even older, I realize that we can create our own spaces for these things.

To me, it's exciting, knowing that we're bringing something different to this world.

I mean, I only really like different.

I'm an identical twin, so I have enough of the same.

(Adamma laughs) And I'm often drawn to being outside of the box.

And I think, especially in a world that didn't often, or ever, incorporate us, and definitely wasn't interested in telling our stories, I'm always down to shake stuff up.

So I'm excited about it.

- For me, this is a quote I always go to and I'm paraphrasing it, but I think it was W.E.B.

Du Bois said like, they asked him or something about being like, what was it?

The first Black man to get a doctorate from Harvard and his quote was like, "The honor, I assure you, is Harvard's."

(Adamma laughs) And that's how I feel about like, opera starting to incorporate Black music.

It's like, the honor, I assure you is, is opera's.

(Marcus laughs) - You're super early.

- Opera is, actually, I think, by actual definition, very flexible.

I think where we run into trouble is where we try to codify opera in its parameters, in its instrumentation and the voice types, in the type of audience who we expect to have there.

And I think what's great about this program is it kind of de-codifies the opera in this way.

So yeah, I think it's a gift to be able to bring the quote, unquote, real world and our 21st century experience, especially, you know, in this country slash Canada, but which is extremely multicultural and extremely diverse, that we can bring our real-world experience into the art form.

And that says also, that says a lot about this project in Atlanta Opera, that they're allowing us the freedom to do that.

- I always say people who are pounding the pavement are just like, one or two opportunities away from the big break, right?

So I think that's always really exciting for me as well, because if I'm recruiting or trying to commission a piece from a composer, I always look for those people.

And I think in this project, we're so lucky to be surrounded by people who are like, we were just talking over lunch, people are doing great, great things.

Like, every single one of these people is a universe of projects and ambitions and, you know, they're doing all of this.

So to be all in the same room with them, to learn from them and to be inspired by them, is quite amazing.

So, I think initiatives like that also empower the up and comers, which I think, you know, is important because in 20 years, who's gonna be writing the operas for the Mets and for the, so it's that aspect of it that is also very, very crucial.

- A recurring theme.

I've been lucky enough in my work to be able to spread sort of, knowledge of Latin American music.

You know, we are contemporary artists, we're contemporary Latino artists, creating new works that deserve to be performed.

- It doesn't really matter who wins, because it's already unique and we're so supportive, there's so few of us, it's such a small field, that we have to root for each other and we have to be happy for each other's successes and celebrate it as our own.

- Absolutely.

And I mean, this is the first 96-Hour Opera Project.

We are already part of history, I mean, here.

I know like, it's a little, you know, I get excited about that sort of a thing and I think that this entire cohort, we are breaking new ground.

And I really hope that Atlanta Opera will see that they've really struck gold with this idea and that it will, you know, only continue in subsequent years to uplift other artists who are people of color, who have new stories to tell and new ways to tell them.

So, I think that that is what's most exciting to me, that we are part of this history now.

- [Director] Show every aspect.

- If I were gonna do it and I wanted to inspire someone to commission me to write more, I would probably start something and not finish it, you know?

I would wanna set it up and just have a cliff hanger, you know?

Just sort of, rather than trying to sort of, show the entire arc of the piece, I would wanna just introduce, you know, what the problem might be and just leave it at that, you know?

And just, I don't know.

But it'll be interesting to see the different approaches to it.

- Sing.

- I think art is always evolving.

And I think there's a beauty in looking at art from history and loving it for what it is, as a representation of its time.

And then there's a beauty at looking in art that represents us today.

Opera encompasses the whole spectrum, which is what we are struggling with right now.

How do we honor that entire spectrum?

So, there are calls to cancel certain operas.

There are calls to say, we're only going to do these kinds of operas.

Can we make room for all of it in a way which is going to continue to bring people into the enjoyment of the art form as a whole, rather than just one aspect of it?

(participant singing) - I think, for a long time this idea of American opera, a European form, you know, reimagined with this country's ethos and this country's history, was a bit of a unknown.

And I'm proud to say that I think Houston Grand Opera played a big part in sort of, proving the concept that the form really has integrity in our nation.

And certainly for a long time, whether white audiences were aware or not, the essence of those pieces were a reflection of America itself, Black music, mariachi music, classical Indian form, you can find it all because in this country we mix and mingle and have babies and share meals.

And so the art we create is that delicious gumbo of so many ideas and so many perspectives.

And since that's been at the, you know, sort of in the DNA of the company that I work for, a large part of my job is not only supporting the development of new work, but partnering with other colleague companies and artists and institutions that share our values, to support a new collection of voices.

And so, I'm here because it's my duty, I'm here because it's my joy, and I'm here because I know that, and I trust Atlanta Opera's commitment through their work over many, many years, and through the rigor of this process, and through the diversity of perspectives that work here, that it'll be worth my time.

So it's my absolute pleasure.

(participants laughing) - 96-Hour Opera Project is beautiful, because it ushers in voices that are traditionally underrepresented in opera.

But what is so exciting is that through the power of story, we embrace our common humanity.

We embrace what it feels like to love.

We embrace what it feels like to lose.

We embrace what it feels like to experience something new, to discover, to have a different experience of many things.

And that is the beauty of opera, is that it says through music, through words, through the human voice, we all experience love.

We all experience loss.

We all experience a new baby.

We all experience a journey to a new place.

And that really, is what the 96-Hour Opera Project is doing.

It's letting us go on a journey that lets us experience our common humanity.

(gentle piano music) - I'm just ready to go, right?

- Go where?

- I'm like, ready to go.

(Deborah and Johanny laugh) - Go where?

- I'm ready to hear the music, I'm ready to like- - Yeah.

- You know, I think today has been a lot of thinking, like, very meta and very thinking about thinking about how we're gonna think about, and I'm like, no, no, no.

Let's go, right?

I wanna see it, you know, I wanna hear it, I wanna start to see it flesh out and so, for me, you know, the next few hours are about that.

The next few days are about that, right?

Like, really seeing the work on stage and then reliving it for myself and figuring out, you know, does it do the emotional thing that I want?

- [Johanny] Yeah.

- Am I even connected to it the way that I was in my mind at the libretto stage or at the stage in which, you know, Johanny was sending me music?

Am I still finding myself, you know, completely enamored, completely heartbroken?

You know, are those feelings resonating the way that I want them to?

And that only works once you get it on stage.

- Yep.

That's the magic of the stage.

(Deborah laughs) - [Deborah] Yep.

For sure.

(gong echoing) (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Made in Georgia.